Adiwang to address weight issues when he faces Yamakita

Pinoy MMA fighter Lito Adiwang admitted to a flaw in his game: struggling late in fights if he doesn’t secure an early finish.

Ahead of his strawweight bout against Keito Yamakita at ONE Fight Night 28 on February 8 at Lumpinee Stadium, Bangkok, the “Thunder Kid” vowed to address this weakness.

He believes there are a lot of things to work on if he wants to hurdle this dangerous Japanese wrestler.

“Honestly, I agree with their criticism. I felt it. I saw it when I reviewed the fight. If they’re not satisfied, [neither am I],” said Adiwang.

The fight in question was his victory over Danial Williams. He charged forward strongly against the Thai-Australian striker, coming close to multiple finishes in the first round.
However, he failed to complete the task. “Mini T” even had an opportunity to steal the win.

Running out of gas in that fight is something that even his coaches weren’t expecting. They’ve found the cause, and it’s something Adiwang promises to improve on for this match.

“Even my coaches were wondering what happened. I was training really well. I think we pinpointed it to weight management, and that’s what I’m looking to really improve on now,” he said.

He needs to make sure that it will not happen again, especially against the gritty Yamakita.

“He’s truly a grinder. He has very beautiful wrestling and excellent pressure. On my part, I have to make sure that I get to hit him before he tries to control him,” he said.

“So that’s what we’re working on right now. We have to make sure that we’re not just defending but also attacking him in that situation as well.”

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PSA to honor Hidilyn Diaz with Hall of Fame award

Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz is set to be enshrined in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Hall of Fame.
The weightlifting champion from Zamboanga City, who made history by winning the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal, will receive the prestigious honor at the San Miguel Corporation-PSA Awards Night on January 27 at the Manila Hotel.

The 33-year-old is just a few years removed from her historic feat of giving the country the breakthrough gold in the Olympiad during the 2020 Tokyo Games in what served as the highlight of a stellar career that had its roots in the small barangay of Mampang.

But the impact brought about by her Olympic success and other significant victories on the international front made her deserving to be enshrined in the PSA Hall of Fame alongside the greatest athletes in Philippine sports.

In what is the grandest Awards Night ever by the PSA, Diaz will stand side by side with first ever Filipino Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo as they share center stage in the formal affair.

Yulo, 24, is the winner of the coveted Athlete of the Year honor.

Diaz is the latest legendary athlete to be elevated in the Hall of Fame by the country’s sports writing fraternity since the late track and field great Lydia De Vega in 2022.

One of only four Filipino Olympic multi-medalists aside from Yulo, Nesthy Petecio, and the late Teofilo Yldefonso, Diaz also won gold medals in the World Championships, Asian Championships, Asian Games, and the SEA Games.

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Vargas named PH chef de mission for 2028 LA Olympics as POC makes key appointments

Ricky Vargas has been appointed as chef de mission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, while Al Panlilio will handle the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, as the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) made key appointments during its first General Assembly of the year on Wednesday.

POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino also announced that Rep. Richard Gomez will serve as chef de mission for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Dr. Jose Raul Canlas will oversee the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, and Stephen Arapoc will handle the Chengdu 2025 World Games.

“The objective is to prepare our teams—and athletes—in earnest for the international competitions; that’s why the chefs de mission were appointed,” Tolentino said. “If we prepare early, there will be no excuses.”

Richard Lim of karate is chef de mission to the Asian Winter Games in Harbin that starts February 7 to 14, while the chef de mission has yet to be named for the Third Asian Youth Olympics Games from October 22 to 31 in Bahrain.

Vargas is a former POC president and currently chairman of the boxing federation; Panlilio (basketball) and Gomez (modern pentathlon) are the incumbent first and second vice presidents, respectively, and Canlas (surfing) is treasurer of the organization, while Arapoc heads the wushu association.

The SEA Games will be played December 9 to 20 this year in Chonburi, Songkhla, and Bangkok, and the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are set for February 6 to 22, and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are from September 19 to October 4 in 2026.

The Los Angeles Olympics are from July 14 to 30, 2028.

Former football president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta was appointed as ethics committee chairman while Atty. Daniel Hofileña, a non-POC member, will head the arbitration committee.

Tolentino said the POC General Assembly also approved the 2025 working budget of P35 million, which is P8 million less than last year’s because of the Paris Olympics preparations and participation.

Tolentino and his secretary-general, Atty. Wharton Chan also announced that the POC made a P15 million savings last year.

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Meggie Ochoa retires from competitive BJJ

Decorated Brazilian Jiu-jitsu fighter Meggie Ochoa has officially retired from the national team and transitioned into coaching.

“I just retired as a national athlete, but I can still compete on my own,” said the three-time jiu-jitsu world champion in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“The commitment of being on the national team is really demanding, you should be ready to make sacrifices.”

The 34-year-old will now focus on mentoring the national youth team and establishing her own jiu-jitsu club.
Ochoa first clinched the title at the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championships in 2014 and went on to win two more in 2015 and 2016.

She also triumphed in the women’s ne-waza -45kg category at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan and bagged the gold in the women’s -48kg at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

“I initially thought of competing again in the 2026 Asian Games or see action in another world championship,” she said before making the decision to coach.

“I had several plans in mind, but God has other plans for me.’’

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Trina Guytingco defends relationship with volleyball star Jessey de Leon

Former Ateneo Blue Eagles women’s basketball standout Trina Guytingco has spoken out against negative comments about her relationship with volleyball player Jessey de Leon.

Jessey’s sweet Instagram post celebrating their second anniversary as a couple was shared by an online sports website, attracting comments from some who still view same-sex relationships, particularly between women, as taboo.

[PHOTO 1 | COURTESY: TRINA GUYTINGCO]

Some of the comments Trina collated expressed disgust and even urged the couple to seek “medication.”

[PHOTO 2 | COURTESY: TRINA GUYTINGCO]
These remarks prompted her to address the issue publicly.
“I am happy and content with who I am, and I pray that you all find peace within yourselves to accept others for who they are. No one deserves to be criticized for who they choose to love,” she wrote on Instagram.

[PHOTO 3 | COURTESY: TRINA GUYTINGCO]
Jessey, on the other hand, has remained silent on the matter. 
The couple quietly celebrated their anniversary with a dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant, followed by a relaxing massage at a spa.

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Magnolia avoids meltdown, edges Phoenix

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots survived a late surge by the Phoenix Fuel Masters to secure a 110-104 victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Thursday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Leading by 11 points at 105-94 with just over three minutes remaining, the Hotshots saw their advantage shrink to 105-99 after a 5-0 run by the Fuel Masters, led by Kai Ballungay and Donovan Smith.

The Hotshots widened the lead to 106-99 on a split free throw by Rome dela Rosa, but the Fuel Masters closed the gap further at 102-106 on a Ballungay triple before Magnolia increased it back to 108-102 on two free throws by Zavier Lucero.

The Fuel Masters made their last push at 104-108 on a basket by Jason Perkins before they had a chance to tie the score, but Ballunggay missed on a late outside shot. Hotshots’ Andy Mark Barroca sealed the win on two free throws.

Lucero led the way for the Hotshots with 25 points, Barroca and Ricardo Ratliffe added 22 markers apiece, while Peter Alfaro stepped up in lieu of injured Paul Lee with 14 points as they improved to a 4-6 record.

“We just tried to find the guys that can fill the shoes of Paul Lee; we had a hard time to score, especially in our previous game (against the San Miguel Beermen),” said Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero after the game.

Smith top-scored for the Fuel Masters with 40 points, including four four-point shots; Perkins and RJ Jazul added 15 points apiece, while Ballungay ended with 13 as they dropped to a 3-6 mark.

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Leila Cruz jokes about facing Creamline as PVL resumes

After a tough loss to the Galeries Tower Highrisers in 2024, Capital1 Solar Spikers’ Leila Cruz is determined to bounce back this year. However, their first challenge is facing the defending champions.

In a recent one-on-one interview with fellow De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers alumna Mika Reyes, posted by the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), Leila discussed their inspirations in life and volleyball.

“When was the last time you cried because of volleyball but told yourself, ‘Babawi ako’?” Mika asked.
Though her response carried her usual quirkiness, Leila answered with sincerity.

“Siguro last game po namin kasi, ate, three sets lang kami ng Galeries,” the 6-foot-1 opposite spiker said while laughing.

“Fresh pa siya, ate. ‘Di pa ‘ko nakaka-move on. Naiyak kasi ako. Well, super sad kasi ‘di naman namin inexpect na—opo, off po talaga kami,” she added.

Leila recalled that their match against the High Risers was an emotional loss. She admitted shedding tears and mentioned that even their management sympathized with the team’s struggles.

“Pero okay din, at least makaka-move on kami from it, and sana maka-start kami na okay ‘yung next year (2025)…” Leila said with a pause.

“Pero Creamline [agad] kami,” she continued, which earned another round of giggles from the both of them.

Three days after the PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024-25 resumes on January 18, the Solar Spikers will face the Creamline Cool Smashers in their first game of the year.

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